You'll probably want to avoid Intel-powered MacBooks, but Apple Silicon models are solid.
An older MacBook is a solid way to save some money in 2026, especially given the price explosion for anything with RAM and storage.
Apple's macOS 27 compatibility list includes MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon dating back to 2020.
For those still rocking MacBooks released before M-Series, you can expect more security patches for the final supported version of macOS and little more.
As of August 26, Apple's recent updates include macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14, but the macOS 27 Golden Gate release will be the first update restricted to Apple silicon.
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For those still rocking MacBooks released before M-Series, you can expect additional security patches for the final supported version of macOS and little more.
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The article, shortened and in plain language
You'll probably want to avoid Intel-powered MacBooks, but Apple Silicon models are solid.
If you're looking to save some money by buying an older, used MacBook, your main question shouldn't be how cheap it is — it should be whether its performance and software will justify the cost. An older MacBook is a solid way to save some money in 2026, especially given the price explosion for anything with RAM and storage. A MacBook with a M-series chip will more than cover basic computing needs and, more importantly, continue to receive macOS releases.
Apple's macOS 27 compatibility list includes MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon dating back to 2020.
Apple started transitioning to its own silicon in 2020 and hasn't sold Intel-based MacBooks since 2021. For those still rocking MacBooks released before M-Series, you can expect more security patches for the final supported version of macOS and little more.
A barebones M1 MacBook Air is still a solid option for browsing, streaming and most of the basic things you can do on a laptop.
As of August 26, Apple's recent updates include macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14, but the macOS 27 Golden Gate release will be the first update restricted to Apple silicon.
If you're savvy with Linux and can get around the T2 security chip in 2018 to 2020 Intel-based MacBooks, you can get more life out of a pre-M-Series MacBook more so than if you stick to macOS.
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